BNSF chief says production of new railcars for oil to start January

ORLANDO, March 25 (Reuters) - BNSF Railway Co
said on Tuesday that production could start in January on the
first batch of 5,000 next-generation tank cars designed to carry
crude oil more safely, earlier than expected in an industry
grappling with bottlenecks.

One of the country's biggest freight companies, BNSF last
month asked railcar makers to build thousands of new cars that
would come with thicker walls and increased protection of safety
and pressure valves, among other features.

A recent string of fiery accidents involving crude trains
across the industry have alarmed regulators and the public.

"We believe we could actually start seeing production first
of January, which was encouraging," said BNSF Executive Chairman
Matt Rose, who spoke at an American Fuel and Petrochemical
Manufacturers (AFPM) conference.

"We didn't think it could be quite that soon," he added.

Raiclar manufacturers in the United States include Trinity
Industries Inc, American Railcar Industries Inc
and Greenbrier Cos Inc.
(Reporting By Robert Gibbons; Editing by Terry Wade)